


A Boy's Best Friend

by Accioscorp



Category: Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Thorne & Rowling
Genre: Cursed Child compliant, Karl has a pet pgymy puff, She's adorable, Some soft Karl fluff, Yann appears at the end, this is just a random headcanon idea I had
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-26
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:15:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,516
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27211087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Accioscorp/pseuds/Accioscorp
Summary: As the evening settles in, a little ball of fluff distracts Karl from his work. He tries to say no, but who could say no to that cute little face.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	A Boy's Best Friend

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone ! 
> 
> I am back with my second Karl centric fic ! I love Karl Jenkins a lot and I have many headcanons for him, this being one of them so I decided to expand on it a little and .... here we are !
> 
> I hope you all enjoy ! 
> 
> Just a little FYI for anyone who is interested - the name I have chosen for Karl's pgymy puff, Cineáltas (Pronounced like Kin-all-tus) is the Irish word for Kindness. It's a little headcanon I've had for awhile and knew I needed to include here ! 
> 
> Okay ... Enjoy !

A gentle breeze was blowing, the cold air causing the auburn leaves to swirl across the grass. The water of the lake lapped quietly with every gust of wind, the almost bare branches of the many trees shook, filling the silence of the Hogwarts grounds. A small figure sat below the tallest tree near the water's edge. A mustard and brown woolen hat was pulled down over the boy's ears, a scarf of the exact same design wrapped snugly around his neck. The boy was alone, not another person in his proximity. The grounds were deserted as the autumn chill filled the air, the sky beginning to grow dark as the sun set and the moon rose. 

Karl Jenkins was sat in the midst of a pile of oak leaves that had built up at the roots of the tree towering high above. His cloak pulled around his shoulders as the sleeves of his oversized hoodie covered his hands, just his fingertips exposed to the chilled air. A mixture of books sat on the ground beside him. Schoolbooks and scraps of parchment held down with random objects surrounded him as he sat in the middle cross legged. A book about mooncalves was opened in front of him as he scanned the pages, his glasses slipping down his nose as he leaned forward. Every few minutes his hand rose, pushing them further up just for the action to be repeated soon after. 

The slight breeze blew the pages slightly, leaves and dust flying into the opened pages now and again. Without Karl knowing as he scanned the pages, a pink ball of fluff made its way out from the large pocket of his Hufflepuff cloak, up his arm and situated itself on his shoulder. It’s fluff tickled Karl’s ear, causing him to scratch it before continuing to read. The ball of fluff, a pink pygmy puff went on to nudge Karl’s ear. Her small nose nudging his ear before moving slightly to nudge his jawline. Karl lost his place in his book due to the slight nudge he felt before lifting his hand to search for the source. His hand landed in the midst of the fluff, the texture soft against his rough skin due to the ever present cold weather and ticklish as the ends rubbed against his palm. 

He turned his head, his cheek meeting the fluff of his pet's coat as he spotted the victim. He reached up, taking the fluff ball gently in his grasp and letting her sit in the palms of his hands as they rested on his thighs. The tiny face of his pygmy puff glanced up at him, her eyes huge compared to the small size of its other features as she gazed up at Karl. Karl moved her into one of his palms as he used his other hand to gently stroke the pygmy puffs coat, the pink fluff springing back up as soon as Karl’s hand moved further back. A soft purr emerged from her lips as Karl gave her a small scratch before lifting her up in the palm of both hands. 

“Cineáltas, I can’t play right now …. I have to finish reading this chapter” Karl spoke, gesturing to the book he was reading that now lay face down to keep his page. If Cineáltas even bothered to care, she didn't show it. She jumped from Karl’s hands down into the pile of leaves where she disappeared for a brief moment before her head popped up as she made her way towards Karl’s satchel which was lying beside him, the latches unclasped leaving the bag open. Karl watched as Cineáltas shuffled through the leaves and into the open bag. He could hear her shuffling around through pages of parchment and empty food wrappers before she eventually emerged. 

She shuffled back out, climbing onto Karl’s folded legs and up to his lap. A red rope with a hoop on one end was situated between her lips. It was Cineáltas’ favourite toy and Karl always had one with him. As she situated himself on Karl’s lap, Cineáltas dropped the rope into his palm as she patiently waited for Karl to play. Karl looked from the rope in his hand to the book on the grass. He could always finish the chapter before bed couldn't he ? 

“Alright you win” he said, rubbing his hand down Cineáltas’ back causing an excited squeak to fill the silence. He leaned over reaching for his bookmark, a polaroid picture of himself and his friends and once he placed it in the book, he began to pack away his belongings, Cineáltas sitting patiently in his lap as Karl finished up. 

Once he was all packed up, he placed Cineáltas on a patch of grass that wasn't covered in leaves as he flipped himself onto his front. He wrapped his fingers through the hoop as Cineáltas grabbed the other end with her small teeth. Straight away Karl felt the tug as Cineáltas began to pull, her small legs slipping on the damp grass as she attempted to pull backwards. Karl never understood how she got so much enjoyment out of a piece of rope but he was happy to play with her any chance he got. They spent merlin knows how long playing with the rope. Giggles filled the empty grounds from Karl every time he let go and Cineáltas tumbled backwards. 

A while later the crunch of leaves around them caused Karl to look up, his body tensing slightly at the sudden sound. Eventually the crunching stopped and a figure of someone reflected on the surface of the lake in front of him. Karl turned his head to the side and was met by a very familiar face. Yann Fredericks was stood, hands on his hips as he started down at Karl. He was trying to look serious but the smirk threatening to appear across his face made the corner of his lip twitch slightly. 

“There you are, we’ve been looking everywhere for you ! Polly is going crazy back at the castle …. do you know what time it is?” Yann asked as Karl sat up, Cineáltas hopping into his open palms. Karl shook his head before looking around. The sun had completely set, the moon illuminating the grounds. The wind had an icier chill to it. It was only now Karl realised how cold he was. His hands felt like ice as every breath he took sent a cloud stems into the freezing air. He had completely lost track of time whilst playing with Cineáltas. “It’s almost 10pm … let’s get you both inside and warmed up” Yann said, leaning down and rubbing a hand across Cineáltas’ fur before reaching out to pull Karl up. Once Karl was on his feet, he placed his satchel up on his shoulder before allowing Cineáltas to sit up there too. 

Himself and Yann began their walk back to the castle. Karl shivered slightly, the cold finally getting to him as Yann pulled him into his side, rubbing his arm to warm him up as much as he could. He threw a grateful smile back at him before Yann asked him what he had been up to. He was nowhere near surprised that Cineáltas had distracted Karl so much. They both laughed as they made their way into the warmth of the castle, Karls nose and fingers tingling slightly as the cold met the heat. 

“That little one has you wrapped around her finger … or well .. paw, I guess” Yann said as he gestured to Cineálatas who was now peacefully sleeping in her curled up position on Karl’s shoulder. Karl glanced over at him, rubbing a finger slightly over her fur as he smiled. “Yeah she does but I love her” Karl replied, turning to face Yann. Yann rolled his eyes before letting the smile he tried to force back break out. “Go warm up and get some sleep. I’ll see you in the morning” Yann spoke, giving Karl a quick hug before they headed their separate ways to their respective common rooms. Karl shouted his reply back as Yann ran down the corridor before tuning to head towards the Hufflepuff common room. 

As he walked through the empty and quiet corridors, a soft snore and stir from Cineáltas filled the silence. Karl reached up, taking the ball of fluff into his hands. Cineáltas barely stirred at the movement, a soft sigh slipping from her lips was the only reaction. Karl smiled, bending down and placing a soft kiss on her head, the fur tickling his cheeks. He felt another shiver run through him since he hadn't fully warmed up yet which was followed by a sneeze, one definitely caused by the cold.

“The things I do for you little guy” he whispered, wiping his nose with the rolled up tissue he had in his pocket before skipping down the corridor and through the common room doors, Cineáltas in hand and the warmth of his bed the only thing on his mind. The reading could wait for another day. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you all for taking the time to read this little oneshot and read about my favourite Hufflepuff ! 
> 
> I definitely plan to wrote more about Karl in the future so if that's something you would be interested in stay tuned ! I would love to hear your thoughts on this so I would love to chat in the comments about Karl and hear what everyone thinks ! Any kudos and type of comment means the world ! 
> 
> Thank you again and I'll see you soon !


End file.
